Domaine des Comtes Lafon

Domaine des Comtes Lafon has the deepest and coldest cellars in Burgundy and they nurture some of the greatestdry white wines of Burgundy. Dominique Lafon is the leading producer in Meursault, producing wines of astonishing depth and complexity, yet supremely balanced as well.

The domaine dates back to the building of the house and cellar at Clos de la Barre by the Boch family in 1869. However the real creator of the estate was Comte Jules Lafon who married Mademoiselle Marie Boch on St Vincent’s day 1894, and was shrewd enough to purchase exceptionally well sited plots in the best vineyards of Meursault and Volnay, as well as a treasured piece of Le Montrachet acquired in 1919.

Dominique Lafon has been in charge since 1985, taking over a domaine which already had a reputation for outstanding, if irregular whites, and potentially good reds. When Lafon took over the domaine, most of his vineyards were leased out on a share-cropping basis. It was only towards the end of the 80s that he managed to reclaim all the vineyards and thus have full responsibility for them.The white wines are now consistently among the best in Burgundy while since 1989 the reds have reached the top division. Not only are the Lafons' holdings in the best vineyards of Meursault and Volnay, but they are mostly very well situated within the vineyards. The domaine is now cultivated according to biodynamic principles with no use of herbicides or chemical sprays. All the wines are barrel-fermented, using new oak for the 1er Crus upwards. There is only one racking after the malolactic and the wines are bottled nearly two years after the vintage, one of the latest bottlings in Burgundy. This is the very pinnacle of White Burgundy with superlative fruit, power, complexity and total harmony being the wines' hallmarks. The reds (incl. those from Volnay, Monthélie) are first class as well.

In September 1999 the Lafons bought a domaine in the Maconnais at Milly Lamartine, sold under the label of Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon. Further vineyards have been bought subsequently, and from 2009 there is a contract in place to farm the vineyards of the Chateau de Viré. Dominique has also established a small label of his own, the wines being made in Beaune.

The white wines are whole bunch pressed then settled in tank at 12°C for 24 hours. No new oak is used for the village wines, up to 70% for Charmes and Perrières, less for Genevrières, and 100% for Le Montrachet, though these are subsequently racked into older wood. The wines spend a second winter in wood

The red grapes are 100% destemmed and put in stainless steel tank with a cooling and heating system. Temperature reduced to 14° for a three to five day pre-fermentation maceration. The vats are typically punched down twice a day during fermentation. Post-fermentation maceration depends on the tannins, while sometimes the juice is pressed and run off into barrel to finish fermenting there. 30% new oak is used. Maturation takes place over 18 months with two rackings before bottling without fining or filtration if possible.

There are just three barrels of the Volnay 1er Cru Santenots du Milieu this year. It has a dense and concentrated raspberry and wild strawberry bouquet interlaced with minerals, backward and broody as usual. The palate is medium-bodied with tensile tannin, a crisp level of acidity and a finish not unlike the Champans, although this is more opaque and standoffish. In my mind the Volnay Champans has a little more panache, but this has the substance to suggest long-term cellaring will be repaid.Neal Martin- The Wine Advocate #216, Dec 2014

The 2014 Montrachet Grand Cru has a gorgeous bouquet: very complex with scents of dried quince, citrus lemon, almond and minerals -- all set off with a very subtle reduction, à la Porusots 2014. The palate is very well balanced as you would expect, but it's the purity here that really makes the Montrachet, building in the glass to what is quite a feisty, bravura of a finish. There is a completeness and bewitching sense of harmony here, and though you feel duty-bound to analyze and intellectualize over this Montrachet, the devil inside is urging you to just drink it and enjoy its untrammeled deliciousness.Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate. 31st Decemeber 2015.